UDF rattled by rebels in Aluva
LDF banks on anti-incumbency
By : vinod nedumudy
Update: 2015-10-26 05:56 GMT
KOCHI: The streets of Aluva wear a calm face the way Periyar flows now and the hustle and bustle of campaigning for the local body elections is yet to catch up the municipal town.
However, behind the scene the candidates are silently campaigning either in squads or independently.
Having 26 wards, the municipality was ruled by UDF in the last council with a brutal majority of 21-4(LDF)-1(Ind).
Having a voter base of 23,000, Aluva is one of the oldest municipalities and smallest in the state as well. Each ward has a voter base of 500-700.
The past chairman M T Jacob of Congress is contesting again from ward number 8. But this time the post of chairperson is reserved for woman but Jacob's brother's wife Saiji Jolly is contesting from one of the wards.
One of the prominent young woman candidate of Congress is the state Youth Congress general secretary Jebi Mather who is contesting from Pulinchodu (Ward no 22).
Though Congress and UDF had a cakewalk last time, rebels are posing a serious threat this time in five wards directly and in over half a dozen wards indirectly.
“Those who aspired for seats but did not get have become inactive and underground they are silently campaigning for other candidates in these over half-a-dozen seats. Both LDF and BJP hope to gain from it,” said K Sankar, a young voter in the constituency.
But Jebi, who is the co-rdinator of the Indo-UK development project for framework for the future of Aluva, and councillor in the last council, claimed that the rebel menace will fizzle out in the coming days as the campaigning hots up.
However, a rebel Seby V Bastin in Ward 10 who is contesting against Nishad P A, son of former MLA K Muhammedali, says that rebels will cut down UDF chances to 12-13 seats.
Most number of six candidates in Aluva Municipality, contest in this ward. LDF banks on the failure of incumbent administration LDF too is claiming to seize power this time and says that the “utter failure” of the M T Jacob-led administration on all fronts is their best plank to win the election this time.
UDF, LDF and BJP have positioned Periyar conservation a major poll plank along with development. “All waste channels lead to Periyar and we pledge to reverse it,” said P T Prabhakaran of the LDF who led the Opposition in the past council and is contesting in Ward 23.
M T Jacob too says that the works for reversing Periyar’s face is already on and two treatment plants for waste will be set up soon with the CSR aid of Federal Bank.
LDF is understood to be positioning Mercy Martin in Ward 16 as their chairperson candidate.
Observers say that BJP has strong chances in two seats while the party candidate in Ward 10 Unnikannan Nair says party focuses on six wards where it has strong chances.
In two wards people who deserted Congress and CPM have become the party candidates.
Gales Devassi Payyappilli who was the only independent councillor in the last council is contesting this time with the support of LDF in a different ward.
The other prominent candidates in the fray include C Omana and K V Sarala of UDF in wards four and nine respectively and Lolita Sivadas, sitting councillor of CPM, in Ward number 15.